Rebirth (Rogues Shifter Series) (3 page)

“You did this to o
thers?”

“Yes
. There’s a good reason, if you’ll just listen.”

No way was I listening to Mister Minty Fresh the serial kidnapper. “I
should have just kept running. You wouldn’t have caught me.” Slapping my hands down hard on the table, I glared directly at him, too angry to be afraid.

He quickly leaned across the table
, placing his hands over mine. I tried to pull away, but they might as well have been crazy-glued to the table. He spoke quietly in his deeply soothing voice, “You’re wrong, Jackie, I would have found you. There are things you need to listen to and try to accept. I know that this is very difficult, but the sooner you can recognize the truth of your situation, the easier it will be for you to adapt.”

He released
my hands and relaxed back into his seat, taking another bite of his steak. There was something compelling about him when he spoke in that calm clear way. I wanted to believe that he didn't want to harm me, but I was afraid to let down my guard.

M
y stomach growled again. I looked down at the delicious steak and decided to keep eating. I’d need my strength to escape, I reasoned, so if he wanted to talk while I ate, I guess I could pretend to listen. Later I’d run and then he’d be eating my dust.

He handed me a clean knife and picked up the one I'd dropped, tossing it into the sink.

"I wasn't going to stab you. I was—what you said was hard to hear."

"T
ry to trust me, Jackie. I won’t lie to you."

"Where are we?"

"We’re on Isla Solitaria, which means lonely island in Spanish. We locals call it Solo Island. You’re miles from mainland California. There’s nowhere for you to run, no matter how fast you
think
you are.”

He smil
ed  at me and I crossed my arms.
Huh. He had no idea.

“You'll leave here when I think you’re ready and not before. After your training you’ll b
e able to live where you like. You’re not really a prisoner.” He took another bite of his food and waited for my reaction.

I stopped eating as I tried to process what he’d said. He’d just told me that he was going to train me to do something and then let me go. Yeah, like that wasn’t t
otal BS. As I watched him eat, I tried to figure out what he
did
want. He hadn’t tried to touch me other than to keep me from running and help me into the cabin, which was a good thing ‘cause I didn’t think I could fight him off for long if he wanted to rape me. I took another look at his biceps and broad muscular chest. Nope, my only chance was to run.

Rob glanced down at my plate then b
ack at me, raising an eyebrow. I shoved a French fry in my mouth to placate him, then chewed and swallowed. “But why did you kidnap me? What do you want?”

“I’m kind of a recruitment specialist. I work for a diverse group who share a similar interest. One person in particular has observed you on and off the last few years and is very interested in your potential.
He called me in to train you.” He buttered a slice of bread as he spoke.

I snorte
d and almost choked on my next fry. “My potential? As what, a runner? That’s about the only thing I do well." He didn't answer so I asked, "This friend of yours was watching me?” I pushed away the stray pieces of salad and took a bite of the bread he'd handed me, shuddering as I remembered another day and other men who’d watched me.

“Have you ever heard of the term shapeshifter?” He
seemed to be scrutinizing my expression carefully.

“
What, like werewolves?” I asked.

“No, not like weres, although shifters do take the form of animals. Shifters aren’t ruled by the phases of the moon and are able to shift under almost any circumstances, as long as they’ve gained enough control a
nd are physically strong. Also, shifters don’t live under such a rigid societal structure as wolves and so enjoy a lot more freedom. Werewolves are more powerful physically, at least when they’re healthy, and are definitely more volatile.  They make dangerous enemies but can also make loyal allies. It’s important for a shifter to know which variety of wolf they’re dealing with.“

This must be some kind of weird joke.
“You’re talking like werewolves and shapeshifters are real creatures. Are you taking your own drugs?” Why is he telling me this ridiculous crap? I tried to figure out his motives as he sat and watched me.
Maybe he’s just nuts
. That thought did nothing to relieve my anxiety.

“They are real. Vampires, witches, sorcerers, the fae and many other supernatural beings inhabit the world with humans. I know you don’t believe me now, but in a few months it'll all seem pretty mundane.”

I was not going to be anywhere near this guy in a few months. “You said the fae? Like—fairies?” I almost laughed at him, but then thought better of it. He could be seriously crazy and laughing at him was probably not a good way to get him to let me go.

“They’re more like Galadriel than Tinkerbell. The ones I’ve
met are extremely powerful. Many of them have lived for thousands of human years.”

"Oh."
Treading carefully, I said, “You still haven’t answered my question. Why me?”

“You’re a shapeshifter, Jackie. I’m sure you’ve noticed that you’re very different from the people you’ve lived and gone to school with. Usually shifters make their first change a couple of years after puberty, but some are late bloomers. You and I are here on the island to force your first change away f
rom anyone who could get hurt. It’ll happen eventually anyway. I’m just going to bring it on a little faster and that’s what the drug is for. I’m here to help you get through your first shift as safely as possible.” He watched me carefully, waiting for me to bolt or cry or react in some way.

I decided not to freak out, just yet,
and to pretend to play along with his strange little fantasy. “Why bring it on now? Why not just wait until I change naturally?” I played with my fries, my appetite having suddenly disappeared
. Shit
,
I need to find a way out of here fast. He’s sounding crazier and crazier.

Rob continued, "Two reasons:
If your first change occurred in school or your home, you’d have been terrified and could've hurt someone. Also, shifter populations are thinning out. We’re always on the lookout for shifters, like you, who’ve slipped through our radar. We have dangerous enemies and most of us feel that bringing strong young recruits into the mix will only help strengthen the community.”

Rob
stood up and moved slightly away from the table. “I’m a shifter. A black leopard.”

I felt a strange electric charge in the air, my body tingling pleasantly as energy filled the small room. I watched in complete astonishment as Rob’s hands turned into enormous black paws with lethal looking claws. He flexed them slightly, retracting the claws
when he noticed my wide-eyed expression. Just as quickly the paws transitioned back to his large human-looking hands. The change seemed effortless. He wasn't even breathing hard.

Stunned, the reality of the situation hit me like a two-by-four in the face. “But I don’t want to change,” I pleaded with him.”I’m human, not an animal. You can’t forc
e me to change!” I'd stood without thought and begun backing away, rage and fear smoldering in the bonfire of my jumbled emotions. There was no way that I was going to let this pseudo-nice creep inject me with some weird drug to make me turn into a bird or a bear or whatever. Maybe this was some kind of governmental test site, although Rob didn’t really look like a scientific geek. More like a Land's End model.

“
Please sit down.” His soothing voice and comforting wintergreen scent made most of my tension float away. Suddenly my knees were bending and I was sitting again.

He rubbed his hands, maybe massaging away the effects of the transition. "The drug I'm giving you doesn't turn you into a shifter. Shapeshifters are born, so you must have had at least o
ne shifter parent. The drug simply encourages your body to do what it would probably do in a few weeks anyway. But I don't see the point in waiting around for it to happen. I don't want to have to keep you here on the island any longer than necessary." He smiled kindly. "I know this is rough for you to take in."

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down, trying to bury my fear where he couldn’t see it. His hands had definitely changed to a leopard's paws. That wasn't some hallucination. I should be screaming or crying, but instead I
decided I wanted some answers. I lifted my chin. "Where did all the blood come from? I don't have one cut. And why can’t I remember anything?”

“Amnesia is a
side effect of the tranquilizer I gave you outside your house. You probably won’t ever remember your trip to the island. You struggled quite a bit after I administered your first dose of the experimental meds four hours ago. Your hands began to shift and you did some damage with your claws. Some of the blood was yours from self-inflicted injuries and some of it was mine as I tried to subdue you, but most of it belonged to my other guest in the back bedroom. Come, I’ll introduce you.”

As I followed him, my head was spinning with ideas. Someone else was here? Was there another prisoner like me? Maybe we could team up and get off this island. Of course I only had his word that we were even on an island. He might be lying. What did he say about my hands changing? I looked down at them and they looked perfectly normal to me, except for the missing scars.

We walked quickly to the back of the cabin opening a door on the left. I couldn’t believe what I saw.

Chapter Four

The room was small
er than mine, still managing to fit a double bed and an old pine dresser. The walls were freshly painted a pale green and there was a multicolored rug over a portion of the worn wooden floor. Two windows overlooked the woods behind the cabin, giving its occupant a slightly different view than mine.

I caught the scent of eucalyptus.
It was strongest near the bed so I turned in that direction, coming face to face with a beautiful cougar busy lifting his head from his paws to stare back at me. His ears perked up at attention and he stretched like a typical cat then jumped down, opening his mouth in a yawn to give me a good view of his very sharp teeth. His furry coat was a lovely sienna brown across the top of his back turning lighter as it traveled toward his stomach and down his legs.

I noticed that one of his f
ront legs was cuffed, attached to a thick chain leading to a metal plate bolted to the wall. Even though Rob was in front of me, I found myself inching backwards into the hallway, wondering if the restraint was in place because Rob thought he was dangerous.

Rob nudged me forward. "You're safe."

The cougar's head tilted as his large golden brown eyes seemed to take me in with typical feline curiosity. He growled softly at Rob, perhaps in greeting, then blinked once and shifted his weight from giant paw to paw, flicking his thick tail and sniffing the air. I backed against the wall, worried that he could smell my fear or hear my much faster heartbeat.

Rob spoke.
“Jackie, meet Ethan. Ethan, why don’t you change back to human form so you can introduce yourself? You may want to turn your back for a minute, Jackie.” Uncertain, but really curious, I turned to face the wall. That same electric type charge made my body tingle in the same cool way that Rob’s change had done earlier. Then I heard a few grunts and the sound of clothing being pulled on. “Okay, you can turn around now.” Rob said.

When I turned back, I looked in surprise at the young man standing next to the bed. Slightly
broader than Rob, he was about 5’10” with shining chocolate brown hair tossed around his head in messy waves. Because he was only wearing sweatpants, I noticed that Ethan’s arms, chest and stomach were sculpted with muscle. His eyes took on a mischievous glint when he saw me looking, and I could feel my face flame up in a blush. I was kind of relieved to see that the cuff around his cat's leg seemed to have adjusted to fit his human wrist, although I couldn't figure how Rob had managed it. His left forearm was etched in ink, a cougar lounging on a tree branch.

“Ethan
is chained because he didn’t believe there would be consequences for trying to take off before he finished his training,” Rob explained. Ethan rolled his eyes, but didn't appear angry. “While he was running off, he ran into you. You made quite a mess of him, unintentionally, I’m sure. Served him right.” Ethan’s eyes were back on me, an amused smile making him look less predatory. Rob smiled as he continued. “I was able to get him back to his room easily after that. I suppose I have you to thank for his capture.” He and Ethan both laughed.

I looked Ethan
over, puzzled by his uninjured chest and arms. “I guess I should apologize, but I don’t remember doing it and you don’t seem too beat up.”

Ethan took a step closer causing the chain to clunk loudly. “Shifting he
lps me heal fast. Jackie, huh? What kind of shifter are you?” He looked me up and down and smiled again. His voice was rich and easy on the ears, as the rest of him was easy on the eyes. I noticed him taking in my scent, like he was still in animal form, and that's what brought me back to reality.